Sostenuto device for musical instruments.



M. L. SEVB'RY & G. B. SINCLAIR. soswnnuwo DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1907. 4 1,068,010, Patented July 22, 1913. a SHEETSSHEET 1 lm/e nfiwzf Melvin Seaway George B. Sinclair;

HIT-4311422 M. L. SEVERY & G. B. SINGLAIR. SOSTBNUTO DEVICE FOKMIUSIGAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 3, 1907.

Patented July 22,

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M. L. SEVERY & G. B. SINGLAIR. SOSTBNUTO DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1907.

Patented'July 22, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- MELVIN L. SEVEBY, OF ARLINGTON HEIGHT S, AND GEORGE B. SINCLAIR, OF WIN- THBOP, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOSTENUTO DEFICE FOR Mll'SICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1907. Serial No. 371,784.

Patented J u ly 22, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MELVIN L. SEVERY, of Arlington Heights, in the county of Middlcsex and State of Massachusetts, 'and GEoRcE B. SINCLAIR, of Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk, in said State, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Sostenuto Devices for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear,"and exact description. 7

The object of this invention is the construction of an improved mechanical device for' enabling any one or more actuated strings of a piano or similar instrument to remain sounding so long as desired, Without interfering with the playing of the remainder of the instrument.

Referring to the drawings. forming part ofthis specification, Figure 1 is aperspective view, more or less broken away, showing the mechanism embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same in its position of rest. Fig. 3 is a similar view, with a portion of the keys in place, showing the same in the first step of its operation. Fig.4 is a view of the same in its second step. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the rear'portio'n of a key showing the resilient finger in its normal position. Fig. 6 is a similar view but showing said finger pressed upward. Fig. 7is a diagram of our musical instrument complete. Fig. 8 is a cross section of an'arm forming part of th sostenuto device and of certain related members.

Each piano key 1 has its inner or rear end slotted longitudinally, as shown at 2 in Fig. 5, and in each slot is fixed a resilient finger 3 held in place by an elbow-bend 4 driven up into the key. The normal position of this finger is substantially level with the under surface of the key, as shown in'Fig. 5, but it can readily be raised to the position shown in Fig. 6, springing back, by it's own resilience when allowed so to do.

Beh nd the rear ends of the keys 1 is located a bar 10 swinging on or with a rod 12 along its upper edge, and having athin lip 11 fixed to its lower edge and projecting toward, the key-ends. Onei zor wo springs 15 hold this bar swung back far enough to bring its lip 11 out of reach of the ngers 3.

The design is to first depress such keys as it 1s desired to have continue sounding, there by elevating-their inner ends',:then swing the bar 1 0 forward to bring Its lip in be neath the fingers 3 of such keys, and then to,

raise'said bar in orderto bring its lip out of possible contact with the fingers of the other keys, while at the same time thereby holding the first-mentioned keys in their depressed positions. To do this, the rod12 is termi-' nally supported by the arms 13 pivotally held at 14, and each having a block 16'fixed' to its inner face. v

. Bent at'right angles to the rock-shaft20 are the elbows 21 havi beneath the extremitie of the fingers 17 and also beneath the blocks'16gsaid rock- .shaft being operated by means of th kneetheir free ends close lever 25 acting through its shaft 26, rm 27,

connection 24} andthe. le'ver' arm-.23 rigid with the rock-shaft; a spring 29 insuring the return of said parts to their normal position, and'preventing too free actuation. By giving a left-hand pressure against the kneelever 25, the elbows 21 first raise the fingers 17 thereby swinging the bar 1O forward and bringing the lip 11 into thefield of engagement of the resilient fingers 3. Then, as the knee pressure continues, the rising elbows 21 acting either directly against theblocks 16 or against the fingers 17 which are shown in some of the figures as coming between said parts, elevate the latter and the arms 13, thereby raising the bar 10 and its .lip 11. Hence, all the keys which had been de pressed just before the actuation ofthe knee lever 25, have their, resilient fingers 3 engaged and elevated by the lip 11; thereby holding depressed all such keys so long as said knee lever is retained in its operated position. As shown in Fig. 4 theother keys are in no way interfered with, a'sthere is ample room for the inner key-ends to rise without their resilient fingers striking the under surface ofthe lip 1.'. 5. 3

By permitting the kn e-lever to return partially to its normal positLQgn 'sufiicient to allow the bar 1.0 to descend to 'itsilowermost point, but not enough to swing backward, the same strings can be again sounded byanother left-hand thrust against the knee-leve and a consequent actuating movement of the controlled keys; and the same movement repeated and the strings sounded as many times as desired. lVhere the sostenuto is used in instruments where the loudness of the tone depends upon the degree of depression of the keys, as in the electric musical instrument set forth in our companion application Serial No. 273,199, it will be seen that the performer may control atwill the loudness of the notes held by the sostenuto; swellingor diminish ing them as the musical expression may demand.

A very little practice enables the performer to accurately determine the point between the descent of the bar and its rear ward swing, and so gives him practically a pedal-operated sub-bass.

As shown in Fig. 7, the depression of a key 1 brings its brush 30 into touch with the contacts of the rheostat board 31, and so closes the circuit from the source of current 41, through the wire 42, brush 30, rheostat contact E51, wire 32, electromagnet 33, wire 36', brush 37, make-and-break disk 38,- brush 39, wire 40 back to the source of cur rent 41. 1

W hat we claim as our invention and for which we desire Letters Patent is as fo'llows, to wit j 1. In a key-operated musical instrument, the combination of keys anda sostenuto device comprising projections extending longit'udinally from said keys and operatively connected therewith,- a movable member, and means under the control of the player for moving said movable member into engagement with certain of said projections and also for raising and lowering it while maintaining such engagement, whereby the keys connected with said engaged projections are operated each time said member is raised and lowered.

2. In a key-operated musical instrument, the combination of keys and a sostenuto device comprising projections extendinglongitudinally from said keys and 'operatively connected therewith, a movable member, and means under the control of the player for moving said movable member into engagement with certain of said projections and also for raising it, together with the keys operated'thereby, with degrees of energy controllable at will.

3. In a key-operated musical instrument, the combination of keys and a sostenuto device comprising engaging means carried by said keys and individual thereto, a movable member, and means for moving said movable member into engagement with said engaging means and also for raising it to heights under the control of the player.

4. in key-operated musical instrument, the combination of keys and a sostenuto device comprising means for holding said keys when depressed, said means being controllable by the operator to repeatedly operate such depressed keys.

5. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a sostenuto device movable at will into control of depressed keys, and means for-raising and lowering said device at will while remaining in control of such depressed keys, and thereby repeatedly depressing the latter.

6. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a sostenuto device movable at will into control of depressed keys, and means for moving, raising and lowering said device at will; said means embracing a movable member under the c0ntrol'of the'operator whereby such engaged keys can berepeatedly operated, while the player is actuating other keys.

7. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a projection on each key,- a device adapted to be ut into engage ment with the projections oi the keys which are depressed, and means operative at will for raising. and lowering said device and thereby causing the last-named keys to re peatedly operate the portion of the instrument controlled by them.

8. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a resilient projection longitudinally'extended from the inner end of each key, and a member adapted to be moved into engagement with the projections of any depressed keys, and then to be raised forthe purpose set forth.

9. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument the inner end of each of whose keys is formed with a vertical longitudinally extended slot, a resilientlyflexn ble finger projecting longitudinally from each slot, a member having a lip, and means for causing said lip to be swung forward beneath the fingers of any depressed keys and then to be raised for the purpose of moving such fingers upward and with them the keys connected therewith.

10. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a resilient projection longitudinally extended from the inner end of each key, a pair of pivoted arms substantially parallel with the keys, a bar supported at the free ends of said arms, a lip at the lower edge of said bar adapted to come above said projections when swung forward and when the keys are in their normal positions, and means for swinging said arms upwardL 11. The combination with a key-operated musical instrument, of a pair of pivoted bar, resilient means between said arms and invention, We have hereunto set our hands bar normally holding said lip out of the this 24th day 0f, Dec., 1906.

path of said members, projections rigid with MELVIN L. SEVERY. said bar, a rock shaft'havmg lever arms en- GEORGE B. SINCLAIR. 5 gaging said projections, and a pedal and \Vitnesses:

'connections for operating said r'ock-shaft. WILBER E. FARRING'mN,

In testimony that We claim theforegoing A. B. UPHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissiener of l'atent s,

' Washington, D. 0.- 

